Content
Fear and resentment dominated my thoughts and I made decisions based on self which caused me harm and harmed others. Therefore my illness is a result of relying on self. On page 62 the text explains that “Selfishness-self-centeredness! That, we think, is the root of our troubles.” This “SELFISHNESS-self-centeredness” (or the “ego”, as some people refer to it) drives us to respond to life situations with the above “symptoms” as well as disorders and addictions other than alcoholism.
It simply means we are spiritually blocked off from the Power of God, which enables us to remain sober, happy, joyous, and free. Many people are initially turned off to the idea of the program because they believe it preaches religion and God, and many addicts and alcoholics have no desire to pursue a religious answer. But the beauty of the 12-steps is that they are spiritually based as opposed to religious. What https://ecosoberhouse.com/ that means is that all that is required is the belief in a power greater than yourself. There is no church you must attend or strict practices you must adhere to in organized worship of said higher power, it is a completely individual and personal experience. Many of our previous attempts to achieve sobriety failed because we did not address anything other than the physical and mental aspects of addiction.
What is the 3 Fold Disease of Alcoholism & Addiction
The reader likely won’t be motivated to live in the solution the book offers unless they can first find their specific story in the problem. In fact, the book is laid out in such a manner as to help the reader identify the problem, the solution, and specifically how to implement this solution in their lives. If you are an alcoholic, then you know you cannot just put the plug in the jug and quit. If it were as easy as not eating a peanut anymore, then you would have stopped long ago. Traditionally trained medical doctors are trained to treat diseases.
And this does not refer to just active alcoholics, it’s referring to the sober state of mind of the dry drunk. The Big Book isn’t shy when providing numerous examples of alcoholism – a soul sickness – and it’s effects on the still suffering alcoholic. The author’s of the book continuously refer to alcoholism as a form of spiritual or soul sickness.
What is a “Spiritual Malady”?
Through our spiritual connection, we finally are given the power to overcome the disease and live happy, joyous, and free lives in sobriety. Restlessness, irritability, and discontentment are symptomatic spiritual malady of the spiritual illness. The spiritual illness that we faced acted as a catalyst for our addiction, and every attempt to self-medicate our spiritual malady pushed us deeper and deeper into the disease.
- Any quotations from sources other than the first edition of the Big Book are reprinted with permission.
- 12 Step recovery focuses on a spiritual solution to the problem of addiction and alcoholism.
- My troubles are of my own making and arise out my living a life run on self-will.
Thankfully, the “spiritual malady” is no longer a “missing piece” of Step One for me. It is a reality of my powerlessness and unmanageability and enables me to see why I so desperately need to seek a Power Greater than myself. And unless this malady is recognized, and a course of action (the Twelve Steps) is taken to enable God to remove it, the root of our alcoholic illness can lie dormant and burn us when we least expect it. Thankfully, the “spiritual malady” is no longer a “missing piece” of Step One for me. Addiction is a disease of the mind, body, and spirit.